Box-fastener.



PATENTED JUNE 2, 19'03.v

0. M. JOHNSON. BOX FASTENER.

\ APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1903.

no MODEL.

Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT O FICE.

CHARLES M. JOHNSON, OE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCHARLES H. COAKLEY, WILLIAM F. COAKLEY,

AND STEPHEN S. CRAMER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

BOX-FASTENER.

SPECIFICATION folining part of Letters Patent No. 729,595, dated June 2,1903.

Application filed March 1 6, 1 9 03.

['0 all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,anda resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsimhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

Experience has demonstrated that careless, 1nischievous,or maliciouseffort exerted on the spring-latch element of a box-fastener made inaccordance with the showing in Patent No. 694,480, of March 4, 1902,will result in a retraction of said latch to such an extent as to breakit off from the back or main plate to which it is fastened or otherwiseimpair or destroy its efficiency, and to prevent detri mental retractionof the aforesaid latch is the object of myinvention, that consists in aboxfastener of the species shown in the aforesaid patent having the knobor push-lug of its spring-latch provided with a forward shoulder thatabuts the adjacent back or main plate subsequent to a clearance of theboltlug of said latch from the catch element of the fastener, as ishereinafter more particularly set forth with reference to theaccompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents afragment of a box provided with myimproved fastener for the lid of same, parts of the fastener beingbroken; Fig. 2, a sectional view on the plane indicated by line 2 2 inthe first figure; Fig. 3, a similar view of a portion of thefastener,showin g the sprin g-latch element thereof retracted its fulllimit; and Fig. 4, a

perspective view of the latch detached from the back or main plate ofsaid fastener.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates the metal back or mainplate of my improved fastener, having a right-angle up per flange 1),provided with a longitudinal slot 0, and an outer lip d is showndepending from the flange. However, this lip may be omitted, ifnecessary or desirable, in some instances. Central of plate A the metalof the same is out out to provide apertures e f, one below the other,and an apertured lateral ear and a recess provided therein.

Serial No. 147,898. (No model.)

g is shown struck out from said plate, although it may be made separatefrom the same and attached thereto.

Riveted or otherwise secured to the rear side of plate A is one end of aspring-metal plate B, provided with a forward beveled bolt-lug h and aforward knob or push-lug 0:, these lugs being arranged to engage withthe aforesaid apertures of said plate.

The above-specified assemblage of parts constitutes the bolt portion of.the box-fastoner, and the catch portion of said fastener is a strip C,of sheet metal, bent to form a right angle, the vertical or tongue endof which is provided with an aperture j and an apertured outer lateralear 7t, this ear being a preferably integral part of said strip.

The fastener as thus far described is the same as the one shown in thepatent aforesaid,with the exception that the knob or push: lug 11 of thespring-latch element ofsaid fastener is provided with a forward shouldert", that limits retraction of said latch by coming into contact with theback or main plate A of said fastener. As herein shown, the otherwisefull-round portion of the knob or pushlug '2: of the fastener-latch ispartly cut away at the top, so as to provide the shoulder t";

but this shoulder may be an annular outer end flange of a full-roundlug.

In practice the plate .A of the bolt portion of the fastener is fittedon a wall D of a box and secured thereto by nails or screws driven intothe same through apertures provided in said plate, the upperlongitudinally-slotted flange b of this plate being set flush in theadjacent edge of the box-wall. The flange-lip d, if employed, facestheoutside of said wall The box-wall recess is closed at the back by plateA, and the slot 0 in plate-flange Z; registers with said recess. Thecatch portion 0 of the fastener is secured on the under side of aswinging lid E of the box in position to have its tongue extend throughflange-slot c of plateA when the lid is down, and said tongue in itsdescent strikes the bevel of the boltlug 77., that normally extendsthrough the aperture e in the plate A of the bolt portion of saidfastener.

Hence there is automatic retraction of the spring-plate B to effect aclearance of said tongue by said lug. The lid being full down, theaperturej of the fastener-tongue is automatically engaged by bolt-lug hof springplate B, this plate being then in normal position. 'lhe strapor wire of an ordinary metallic seal F may now be engaged with the plateand tongue-ears g k, as herein shown. The seal being broken or absent,the'knob or push-ln; z'of the spring-plate B is pressed upon to retractsaid plate and disengage boltlug h of same from the tongue-apertu re ofthe latch portion of the fastener, so that the boxlid may be swung backon its hinges; but the retraction of said spring plate or latch islimited by the shoulder t" of said knob or pushlug. Hence the efficiencyof the aforesaid plateor latch cannot be impaired or destroyed bycareless, mischievous, or malicious effort exerted on its aforesaid knobor push-lug.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

A box-fastener comprising a main plate attical tongue portion forengagement with the v bolt-lug of said spring-plate.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand,at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

CHARLES M. JOHNSON.

-Wltnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, JOHN HOTH.

